Planets US Vinyl & CDs

Review: US label Planets is back with a third outing and this time they have a superb blend of roots and digi-dub with a cover of a Michael Jackson classic. AJ Brown is a noted vocalist who here serves up a rare street soul lovers' version of The King of Pop's 'Human Nature.' It's a passionate and emotive vocal work over a nice rolling beat and on the flipside it comes with an excellent instrumental dub version that allows the synth work to shine more and the funky bassline to come to the fore as the vocals are drenched in echo and reverb. Limited press on this one so move fast.

Review: A crucial 12" version of Karen Dixon's sweetly innocent version of the insta-clock-it, insta-cop-it classic, 'I Just Want To Be Free' by Deniece Williams. Sung and rendered in a new lovers' rock style, and sifted from the Neville King archive for license on 7" press, this one comes with a brand new instrumental dub version on the flip. This one's not a mere vocal scrubbing either, as it amounts to a full heavyweight reshake; the overall feel is muted, allowing for extra reams of bass to riffle systems underneath.

Review: Jennifer Lara delivered a rather oblique reggae record in the form of 'We Can Make It Work' in 1980 for Uptempo Records, who've today repressed and redelivered it to fresh ears. The Studio One maverick was a mammoth 7" releaser, but few of her records fell happily afoul of the flukily muted vocals heard on this one, which sound to serve Lara's voice in the manner of a wooing, gothic castle-haunting ghost. The subject matter of resuscitating a lost romantic cause helps in this regard: with offbeat bass bubbles and pitch-warped chords, the whole track feels haunted but still jocular, as if the singer-subject remains fixated on something largely dead, but still, on the off chance, revivable.